Gasp!

This is so me

My Story

Last night I finished reading 'My Story' by Elizabeth Smart with Chris Stewart. In case you lived under a rock in 2002, Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her bed in Salt Lake City by knife point by Brian David Mitchell. Mitchell was a religious fanatic who believed that he was god's servant. He called himself Immanuel and thought that god had told him to take seven wives- all of which had to be young Mormon virgins. Elizabeth was the first wife that he chose for himself. This is her story about the nine months that she spent in captivity with Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee. She tells about the many horrors that she endured during this time and is pretty open about her experience. This is not a book for a young reader by any means. Some of the things that she talks about filled me with horror and dread. The things that Mitchell made her suffer through are completely inhumane and things that no little girl should ever have to experience. But this is a story of survival and hope. It has a happy ending because Elizabeth made a choice to not let this horrific experience ruin her life. I am amazed at what a strong, successful person she has become. She turned tragedy into triumph. Although this book is graphic at times, I would highly recommend it.

Gulliver's Travels

I have a goal to at least try to read all of the classics. My latest attempt was to read 'Gulliver's Travels' by Jonathan Swift.... I didn't get very far. It kind of makes me feel like a bad reader when I have to stop reading a book, but dang, it was SO boring! I thought that this story was going to be an adventure, but the author is all about facts and measurements. He explained how everything and everyone looked in enormous detail, so much so that I was bored to tears. I tried to get through this book, I really did, but it just didn't work out. There are so many great books out there that I honestly feel like reading shouldn't be such a chore. Kuddos to you if you liked this book and actually got through the entire thing, but this was not the book for me.

Book Smell

Rapunzel Untangled

Hello Readers, (If anyone is out there)
Sorry it has been so long. I just had a baby you see, so my free time is now filled with cleaning up spit up, changing poopy diapers, and singing Row Row Row Your Boat. Which means that I didn't have much time for reading. I was however able to squeeze one book in during nap times. That book is called 'Rapunzel Untangled' by Cindy C. Bennett.

 Rapunzel is a 17 year old girl who has known nothing but her tower and the only person she ever sees is her mother. Rapunzel has a rare disease that prevents her from ever stepping foot outdoors and if she ever came in contact with another human being their germs could kill her instantly. The only connection she has to the outside world is her computer which is supposed to only be used for her homework, but she breaks her mother's rules and finds a website where she can look at millions of people without their knowing about it. The website is called Facebook and it shows her a world she has never known before. One day Rapunzel gets brave enough to send a friend request to a boy that she finds lives in her same city. She wants to get to know him because if she didn't have the disease she would probably go to his same school and have known him her whole life. He accepts her friend request and they begin talking over messenger which opens up new exciting possibilities for Rapunzel. This new friendship sets in motion events that will change Rapunzel forever and finally make her question the only home and the only family that she has ever known. This book is a modern day twist on the fairy tale that we all know and love. It is for a young adult audience, it definitely does have a dark side to it, and is a fast, fun, quirky read.

NERDS

The Remarkable Soul of a Woman

Today I was in the mood to read something uplifting. So I read 'The Remarkable Soul of a Woman' by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the general presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

In this book President Uchtdorf explains that there are two ways to make yourself feel happy. One is by doing charitable service for others, and the second is by creating. Now, I must admit, that sometimes I feel like the least creative person on the planet. There is a certain quote that I read just after such thoughts crossed my mind. He says, "You may think you don't have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before- colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter." I just  loved that quote. Who knew that family memories and laughter were actually a type of creation? And come to think of it, they may be some of the best kinds of creation.

This book takes all of ten minutes to read, its that short. But it honestly would be a great little gem to have on your shelf for those days that are going down the crapper. When you are feeling blue and need a little encouragement just whip this little book out and become enlightened and encouraged.

Sarah's Key

As a continuation on my break from futuristic books I just recently read the book ‘Sarah’s Key’ by Tatiana de Rosnay. This is another book that takes place during WWII but this one deals more with occupied France and the concentration camps that were there. On July 16, 1942 French policeman held what they called ‘The Great Roundup’ where they captured thousands of Jews and took them to a large stadium where they were kept in inhumane conditions for days, and then were forced to ride cattle cars on the train to various concentration camps. From these camps they were then transferred to Auschwitz and gassed to death. Many of the French people do not know the role that their fellow countrymen played in murdering the Jews, and if they do know, they refuse to talk about it because they would rather forget about it.

This is the story of a modern day reporter trying to find out the gruesome facts about that terrible day in July in 1942, and the little girl named Sarah who she discovers is connected to her family in a tragic way. The beginning of the book jumps between these two character’s stories and so you get to see both sides. Although this is of course a horrible subject to be reading about it also presents a lot of history and makes it absolutely impossible to forget. “Never forget” is an ongoing theme of this book and is definitely honoring those men, women, and children who died in those hellish conditions.

I really did enjoy this book. Not only did I learn a lot, but it was a captivating page turner. I must warn you that it is definitely written for adults and I don't know if I would even recommend it to kids in high school. I would say more like 18 years old or older for this one.  My only complaint was that the ending kind of seemed to drag on and on and I felt like it was superfluous since she had resolved everything a few chapters ago. However the majority of the book was very good and I would highly recommend it! 

Code Talker

This week I finished reading the book 'Code Talker' by Joseph Bruchac. This book is about the Navajo Indians who served in WWII and the top secret assignment that they had. The military came up with a plan to send coded messages to one another using the Navajo language, which means that Navajo Indians were vital to the war effort and ultimately helped us win the war. Their language is so incredibly hard to learn that other countries could never crack the code. In fact, this plan was so top secret that the government didn't allow the Navajo's who were involved to share the role they played  in the war with their family and friends until the late 1960's when they finally figured that computers would do a better job at sending coded messages than people could. When they were finally able to share their amazing stories with the world many books were written about them and they were asked to come to D.C. to meet many of the presidents who passed through the walls of the White House. The Navajo Indians were definitely the unsung heroes of WWII.

What I found most interesting about this book was how much I learned from it. I don't know if I was sleeping in history class or it's just been too long since I have learned this stuff, but I definitely didn't know a lot of the things that happened with the Japanese. I guess when I think about WWII I always think about Hitler and the Nazis. Obviously I know about Pearl Harbor, but this book goes into a lot more depth with the war against Japan. I think reading historical fiction novels is my very favorite way to learn history. These novels can actually take us to the war and we are able to see through the eyes of the men that were there. It is an incredible way to learn about our past and yes, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a history buff, wants to brush up on their history, or is just looking for a good war novel to read.

Pride and Prejudice

There is a book that I have returned to many times when I need some really well spoken English in my life. That book is 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. I love the taste of the words in my mouth. Austen's writing is almost poetic in a way. And if her humorous style of writing about serious political issues wasn't captivating enough, she also creates the most lovable characters imaginable. From Mrs. Bennett to Miss Bingley, Elizabeth to Darcy, every character's personality pops on the page. This is such an amazing classic and everyone should read this at least once in their lifetime.

And of course, I am a huge fan of the movies as well. Here is a trailer from one of my favorite versions of 'Pride and Prejudice'.

Librarian Life

This is my life at the library some days.

Beautiful Creatures

Lately I have been trying to get through the series 'Beautiful Creatures' by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I finished the first book and most of the second one, but then I kind of lost interest and they became a chore for me to read. Books shouldn't be a chore to read in my opinion because there are too many amazing books out there. So why try and drudge your way through them right? In the beginning the story was captivating and held my interest, but then it started to kind of drag on and on. Each book is more than 500 pages and I feel like there is just a lot of fluff in there that doesn't accomplish anything other than taking up space. Some of the tangents the authors go on definitely do not hold any importance to the plot line, and there were many times when I just wanted to scream, "Will you get to the point already?!" However, I am sure there are plenty of people who love these books, I am just not one of them. I think they are something that you have to kind of judge for yourself though.

Having said that, I still do want to see the movie. It looks really good and there are some pretty awesome actors in it. I have heard good things about it so I will definitely be giving it a chance. Here is the trailer so you can check it out for yourself.

Ella Enchanted

If you are ever looking for a very fast, fun, entertaining read than my suggestion would be ‘Ella Enchanted’ by Gail Carson Levine. This is a romance, fairytale, adventure and coming of age story at its finest. It is very short and you can definitely read it in less than 24 hours.

When Ella was born, a misguided fairy “blessed” her with the gift of obedience. Now Ella has to do what she is told, whatever she is told. If someone tells her to clean her room or jump off a cliff, she has no choice but to obey. Ella’s mother and housekeeper are always concerned for Ella’s life. If someone were to discover her secret she could be in great danger. When her mother dies from illness Ella’s father begins to have a stronger influence in her life more than ever. Her father is trying to control her life for his own benefits and now it’s more important than ever for Ella to find a way to break the curse that was placed on her so long ago.

This is by far one of my very favorite books. It is simple but I love it. Sometimes you just need a really quick read that doesn’t require any thinking ya know? However, don’t even waste your time on the movie. I don’t know what Disney was thinking when the created that monstrosity, but I get angry just thinking about it. It’s not even close to how the book is and I just hope that the movie hasn’t kept people from reading the book. I have heard that some ‘Ella Enchanted’ fans have to think of the movie as a completely different story than the movie so if you can separate the two than more power to ya!

The Scarlet Pimpernel

'The Scarlet Pimpernel' by Baroness Emmuska Orczy is another one of my very favorite books. It is the story of Sir Percy Blakeney, an English gentleman, who sneaks into France and rescues the French royals from their fate with madame guillotine during the French Revolution. Although this book's setting is a dark and dreary one, the author manages to throw humor and romance into this story that leaves the reader completely captivated. Everyone should read this novel at least once in their lifetime, so put it on your list.

Also, this just happens to be one of my very favorite movies as well, but if you watch it you need to watch the 1982 version with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. They are amazing together. Ah! I just love, love, love this story!

The Books of Bayern

I was recently perusing my book blog and realized that my very favorite series, well the one that is the closest in competition with Harry Potter anyway, is missing from this blog. Oops. I have  mostly been writing about my current readings, which means that many of my favorite books prior to this blog are not on here. So hopefully every so often I will be able to write about an "oldy but a goody", while continuing to keep up on what I am currently reading.

The series that I am referring to is called 'The Books of Bayern' by Shannon Hale. My best friend in high school gave me 'The Goose Girl' as a birthday present. I fell in love with the book and read it over and over and over again. I actually did not even read the rest of the books until I got to college. 'The Goose Girl' is by far my favorite book in the series and you can read it without reading the others if you wanted to.

This story is about Princess Anidori. After her father dies her mother decides that she is going to send Ani to Bayern, a neighboring kingdom, to marry the prince and hopefully smooth out the rocky relationship the two kingdoms have. Although Ani knows that this is an attempt to prevent war, she is hurt by her mother's utter disregard to her feelings. The trip to Bayern is very long and dangerous, and Ani has mixed emotions about what no only awaits her on the trip, but what her new life will be like in Bayern as well. During the trip something tragic happens, and Ani realizes that she no longer knows who to trust and is left completely on her own, having for the first time in her life, to defend for herself. And for a girl who has never even had to dress herself, this can be quite the challenge. This is a story of bravery, friendship, romance, and the journey to self discovery. It is a story that has found a place forever in my heart and one that I return to almost yearly.
In order:
The Goose Girl
Enna Burning
River Secrets
Forest Born

Catching Fire

Are you excited? Cause I sure am!

Shatter Me

I recently have read an amazing series by Tahereh Mafi, well the books in the series that have been written anyway. I am anxiously awaiting for the next book to be written, but the first two are called 'Shatter Me' and 'Unravel Me'. It is a story about a girl who has a lethal touch, literally. If her skin comes into contact with another human being, she could kill them. Not really sure what to do with her after a tragic accident, society throws her in a mental institution where she has absolutely no human contact for hundreds of days. All she has to keep her sane is a little notebook that she can write her thoughts in, and a very small window in her cell that she can get a glimpse of the sky. Her world is then turned upside down yet again when all of a sudden, they give her a cell mate.


This was a very interesting read for me. The authors style of writing is unlike anything I have seen before. I thoroughly enjoyed these books and would highly recommend them. However, there are some adult scenes that are probably not appropriate for younger readers. These are categorized as Young Adult, but I would probably not recommend them to anyone younger than high school age.

Let It Go

Have you ever read a book that completely impacts your life? When you put the book down it never really leaves your thoughts. You think about it in the shower. You think about it on your drive to work. And usually it’s what you are thinking about right before you fall asleep. Well, I have read just such a book. It is called ‘Let It Go’ by Chris Williams. This book is a true story of one man’s tragedy and his continual effort to find peace and happiness after it.

Chris Williams was taking his family out for ice cream one Friday night when a drunk driver crashed into their car, instantly killing his pregnant wife and two children. This is the story of the healing process that he had to endure after that event and how he ‘frankly forgave’ the teenage drunk driver that killed half of his family.

This book was utterly inspiring to me. This man is absolutely incredible. I honestly do not know if I could forgive someone so completely after they hurt my family so terribly. He had enough faith to put this burden in the Lord’s hands and just let his Savior heal him. The whole time I was reading his story I kept thinking about how many grudges I am carrying on my shoulders. I can still remember some insults that I received in kindergarten from other five year olds. How pathetic is that? If this man can forgive, then I can too.

Before Williams wrote this book he created a ‘Mormon Message’, which is just a short video clip about members of the church and the experiences that they face in their life. In the clip you can see Williams speaking with Cameron, the drunk driving teenager. I posted it below so that you can get a little taste of what this book is about. If you are curious about the LDS Church you can find out more information at lds.org. 

Matched

The latest series that I read is called the 'Matched Series' by Allie Condie. I must admit that this is one of those "latest and greatest" series fads that everyone is reading and yes, I jumped on the bandwagon and read them too. The series is yet another futuristic series where a new form of government has taken over. This particular government is called The Society which holds complete control over practically everything that its citizens do. From where they work to who they marry every thing is pretty much decided for them. There is no choice. The reward for this is safety. There is no disease, no wars, just citizens living peaceful lives. When  The Society first came about they even had a committee to examine all of the art and music in the world. This committee selected 100 songs and 100 paintings to survive and destroyed the rest. Therefore there is no longer creation of art or music of any kind and has become a lost art. When teenagers reach a certain age they attend what is known as a Match Banquet. They get to go have a fancy dinner with food they have never had and at the end there is a ceremony where every teenager is given a match, or future spouse if you will, from somewhere in The Society. Almost everyone is matched to someone that they have never met, so when Cassia is matched to someone she has known her whole life, she is completely shocked. The week following the Match Banquet is the beginning of realization for Cassia  that The Society may not be as perfect as she always thought.

While I did enjoy this series and found it an entertaining read, I think it might be a little overrated. Yes it is good, but no it is not amazing. Just a fun read. I would recommend it, but I just hope it doesn't become an unbelievably overrated fad like Twilight (ugh). (Oh no, I wouldn't say these books are as terrible as Twilight, I was just referring to the fad thing.)

Austenland

I know it has been a while since I wrote a book recommendation post but I can assure you that I never stopped reading.  I have been reading two separate series and wanted to finish all of the books in each series before posting about them. The first series that I finished is the ‘Austenland’ series by Shannon Hale, who is one of my very favorite authors in case you didn’t know. There are only two books in this series; ‘Austenland’ and ‘Midnight in Austenland’.  

These books are about a home in England that you can pay to stay at for two weeks where you are completely immersed in the era of Jane Austen.  Everything is authentic to the time period including the clothes, food, speech, and social rules of etiquette.  At Pembrook Manor guests have all of their electronics taken away from them and literally have to pretend like they are living in one of Jane Austen’s novels. Actors are hired to court the women and at the end of their stay there is a grand ball. It is a perfect retreat for all Austen enthusiasts and a place where anything can happen.

Being a Jane Austen fan myself I found these novels very intriguing and entertaining to read. Having said that however, I do not necessarily feel that ‘Austenland’ quite held up to Shannon Hale’s usual standard of writing. It’s almost like you can tell that this is Hale’s first attempt at writing a novel for adults and she doesn’t really know how to navigate herself in this particular genre.  The same cannot be said for ‘Midnight in Austenland’ however. From the very beginning the second book in this series had me completely captivated and guessing until the very end. You can literally see Hale grow as an author as she tries her hand at writing for an adult audience. The first novel was just “okay” literature for me, but the second novel is when I really remembered why Shannon Hale is in my top 5 of favorite authors.  So do me a favor, if you haven’t read Shannon Hale before, don’t judge her just based off from this series. She is an amazing author I assure you.

As for the second series that I have been reading I am on the third and final book in the series so that post should be coming very soon. Stay tuned. 

The Secret Keeper

I just recently finished 'The Secret Keeper' by Kate Morton and it was so amazingly good. When Laurel is 16 years old and playing hide and seek with her siblings, she witnesses her mother kill a man who has come to their little farm in England, from her hiding spot. She has no idea what this man could have said or done to bring her mother to such drastic anger and afterwards the whole thing is kind of hushed up and rarely spoken of again. However, years later, when her mother is getting closer and closer to her death bed, Laurel is determined to discover the truth about both her mother's and the man she killed's past. She is determined that the memory of her mother not be tainted by that terrible day. This novel is about the journey Laurel goes on to unravel her mother's history that she never knew she had.

The reason I liked this novel so much is that it is highly unpredictable. It literally kept me guessing until the very end, and the resolution took me completely by surprise. A definite page turner that keeps you on your toes and dying to know the secret as much as Laurel does. A very good mystery indeed!

The Power of Books

Harry Potter as a Teen Comedy.

Grave Mercy

This book is another recommendation from a fellow librarian, and it was pretty dang good. 'Grave Mercy' is about a girl who starts out in life being mistreated by those around her. Her father is abusive and arranges her marriage to a man more than double her age. On her wedding night her new husband discovers her secret and runs away from her in terror. Her secret is that she is marked as a daughter of the god of death, Mortain.   That night she is miraculously plucked from her old life and delivered to a convent that serves Mortain. There she will be trained to carry out the god of death's biddings, or in other words, she becomes a trained assassin. The nuns at the convent have high expectations for her, ones that she is eager to fulfill and prove herself worthy to be called a daughter of Mortain. This is the story of Ismae trying to not only prove herself to the god that she follows, but to also find her place in the world. Unfortunately, those two desires may collide and she just may have to choose between her new life at the convent, or following her heart.

This is a captivating novel that is full of mystery, suspense, action, and romance. I could hardly put the book down. There is another book going to be written, but it will be about another character in the book, so 'Grave Mercy' has a resolution and doesn't leave you on a cliffhanger. I personally can't wait for the next book. Robin LaFevers is an amazing author and I can't wait to see what other masterpieces she produces.